Ok guys hoping some of you guys may be offer to lend me some advice. I need to get groceries and food costs down my maternity pay is going to end in September.

I can get chickens pretty cheap I want to cook whole chicken at least one once a week and divide up the meat. Actually maybe 2 since germans have mini chickens. How long can it be in the fridge is it better to store in meal size portions?

Hamburger?

Beans I want to cook a pound on the weekend for the week again, fridge how long or freeze?

Rice? Same questions.

Pasta same questions

Anyone know any good frugal snacks I can make at home again once a week cooking that will stay fresh through the week. Preferably on the healthy side.

Cut up veggies, how far in advance can I precut veggie slices and fruit slices for snacks and lunches. Do I need to do anything special.

Thats all I got at the moment, or maybe tips on keeping bread and rolls fresh again I would like to bake our breads myself can I say bake sunday and make enough for the week?

I usually make meatloaf, lasagna, or soups or divide them into individual portions and freeze them. Then yiu have a variety of meals to pick from. Pull it out of the freezer in the morning and it's defosted by dinner.

You don't really want to go past 3 or 4 days with raw cut up fruits and veggies. Sometimes they dry out or leak out all of their juice. I heard that they loose vitamins after they are cut, but I've never seen any research that backs that up.

Raw meat can be kept in the fridge for about 3 days as well. Any longer and I would freeze it. And always thaw in the fridge the night before. Don't ever leave raw meat out on the counter to thaw or put in a warm bath - that is just breeding bacteria!

Cooked food is usually good for 7 days. Just try to only reheat it once. I make a big pot of rice once a week and reheat what I need throughout the week. Same with beans in the crockpot.

If I was you, I would cook those two chickens right away and then separate the meat from the bones and make stock (all in the same day). If your chicken is only for dinner(s) then separate it into however many dinners you plan to do with chicken. If you want to keep your options open for lunches and dinners throughout the week (i'm not a big meal planner or recipe follower)just do one big container.

I used to cook all day Saturday in college and portion everything into individual containers for my roommate and me to eat all week. In some ways it was kind of nice. Home cooking everyday. Even when you don't have time.

Oh bread! I forgot. I went about 18 months post college where I made all our breads/rolls/crackers/tortillas any thing bread-like. If you make a whole weeks worth, you will need to use the freezer for about half of it to keep mold from creeping in. Don't freeze it until it is completely cooled and take it out the night before to thaw on the counter.